Fishers catch suspected rare ray in Port River

Scientists hope a discovery by fishers in Adelaide's Port River can confirm the existence of a separate species of marine creature in South Australian waters.

Recreational fishers have captured what appears to be a magpie fiddler ray, an elusive species first identified about 60 years ago.

The magpie fiddler is believed to be distinct from the more common southern fiddler ray and there have been many anecdotal sightings in Gulf St Vincent.

But only one other specimen has been captured and is now in the South Australian Museum.

The ray has a distinctive black and white pattern and is being held in a tank at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).

SARDI scientist Paul Rogers says it was a lucky find with research and conservation benefits.

He says tests will be carried at the South Australian Museum to verify the discovery.

"It hasn't really been confirmed using modern genetic tools but it's definitely a different species from the common southern fiddler ray," he said.

"They'll actually be comparing the genetic material in that sample to other genetic material in southern fiddler rays and trying to differentiate between the two species so that we can actually confirm for the first that the magpie fiddler is in fact its own species.

"It's possible that this animal is just a mutant colour morph of the more common southern fiddler."

The magpie fiddler ray was first identified in 1954 when the only other ray held in captivity was caught.

Sea of riches

In waters further afield, CSIRO scientists are hoping a $20 million study into the Great Australian Bight's ecosystem will discover new marine species.

The four-year study is a joint project between oil and gas producer BP, the CSIRO and Marine Innovation Southern Australia.

BP has already carried out seismic surveys in the region and is seeking approval to drill for oil.

The CSIRO's Dr David Smith says the study will help future policy and decision making in the area.

"It's a very rich area in terms of whales and dolphins, and there's key fisheries and we don't really understand why that area's so rich," he said.

"So it will give us a great deal of understanding and the other thing is we actually know a lot less about our oceans generally than a lot of people think."

Professor Gavin Begg from SARDI says the study could determine whether future mining activity in the region should go ahead.

"A study of this scale where effectively you're tackling all of those elements of the ecosystem at a single time is very unique and there's very few studies that cover this whole-of-ecosystem approach so from a research point of view it's a very significant program," he said.